If you’re a foodie, a wine lover and enjoy traveling, you’ll be excited to learn that there will be the first wine and food event of its kind in the world’s hippest and magical travel destination, Valle de Guadalupe! On Sunday, October 22nd, Valle Wine & Food Festival will have it’s first event that will feature more than 15​​ ​celebrity​ ​chef​ ​food​ ​stations​ ​and the top​ ​15​ ​Baja​ ​wineries, local​ ​breweries,​ ​live​ ​bands,​ ​DJs,​ ​dancing,​ ​book​ ​signings,​ ​live​ ​auction​, VIP​ ​Lounge, and more.

Not that you need a reason to enjoy this fabulous festival, but you’ll also be supporting a beautiful cause. The festival will be donating all proceeds to its private foundation, Fundación Campesinos,​ ​an​ organization​ ​founded​ ​by​ ​Plascencia,​ ​Silverton,​ ​and​ ​Carreño​ ​to improve the lives of the farm workers of the region and their families, providing shoes, clothing, and blankets, as well as helping to improve living conditions and introducing vocational education for the children. For this year, the foundation will split the proceeds with organizations in Oaxaca needing assistance due to the recent earthquakes. Makes me love Chef Nancy and Chef Javier even more for organizing this event.

“After cooking with Javier in Valle de Guadalupe last summer, I fell in love with the place, the people, and the rustic, over-fire style of cooking,” says chef Nancy Silverton, America’s reigning queen of pastry and pizza, who recently rose to worldwide fame with a segment devoted to her on the award-winning Netflix series, Chef’s Table. “I knew I wanted to come back, and to give back to this place,” Silverton says. “After a few days, and a few glasses of red wine, Javier and I, along with my friend and co-author Carolynn Carreño, who is from Tijuana and introduced me to Javier, were determined to start an annual charity event to benefit the farm workers in the region.” Thus, the First Annual Valle Wine & Food Festival was born. “I participate in countless festivals around the world every year,” Silverton says. “But this is the first one that I am hosting. And I couldn’t be more excited. I just know that my fellow Californians are going to love it there as much as I do.”

If you haven’t been keeping up with my Baja Instagram pics and previous blog posts, Valle de Guadalupe is a wine region about 65 miles south of the border and 15 miles northeast of Ensenada. The Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast, among many other media outlets, more than 200 publications to be exact, describe it as the “it” travel and wine tasting destination. What was a hidden Mexico secret, this peaceful valley surrounded by stunning, arid mountain ranges is now being compared to Napa Valley wine country. But I’m here to tell you that it’s a much different experience and you would have to experience it for yourself to really capture it’s beautiful and magical beauty. Valle is already known for its notable restaurants, including TrasLomita, Malva, Olivia Fuego, and Fauna, all of which, and more, will be represented at Valle Wine & Food Festival. And its wines — from the sparklings and rosés to the acclaimed Nebbiolos and unique blends — are fast becoming competitive with the best of the world.

In the words of wine guru James Suckling of Wine Spectator in 2008: “I am convinced that Baja California can do it. In fact, it already has. It might be one of the last untapped great wine regions left in the world.”

What to Expect

The festival, produced with Plascencia and Silverton by Tijuana native Carolynn Carreño along with high-end cross-border agency Baja Wine + Food, will offer something for everyone. In addition to food and wine stations where guests will have the opportunity to meet the chefs and winemakers, there will be a band stage featuring cumbia rock band Takon Machine, and south of the border celebrity DJs, Lord Valle and Chukuchu. Celebrity Auctioneer Billy Harris is flying in from New York City to host the event.

Booksellers Good Earth/Great Chefs, and offshoot of the world famous Chino Farm, will be there to sell books and host book signings from the participating chefs. There will be a children’s corral for coloring, decorating, and other fun take-home projects.

VIP admission includes a shaded VIP lounge with optimal view of the stage styled by designer extraordinaire Marianna Iridin, private bar and mixologist, unlimited drinks including premium and reserve Baja wines, tray-passed appetizers, and all-access to the exclusive Chefs and Artisans After Party.

Don’t Want to Drive To Baja Yourself – Here’s a Solution

Valle Wine & Food Festival has partnered up with Baja Wine + Food who will be providing transportation from San Diego for $50/person. To book a private travel experience, which can include private transportation, accommodations, Festival admission, exclusive winery visits, adventure activities, and restaurant experiences, contact Baja Wine + Food’s concierge team at travel@bajawinefood.com.

Related Posts

I’ll be heading to Mexico City for my next business journey and as usual it will be a short trip. This means I have to squeeze in what I can to explore the beautiful city of Mexico. This will be my first visit and as a […]

A weekend in Valle de Guadalupe wine country will have you coming back for more delicious Mexican cuisine, wine, and warm culture filled with many other adventures. Wait, WHAT, they make wine in Mexico? They sure do and have for centuries. If you make your way to […]

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name*

Email Address*

Website

Comment

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

ABOUT ME

Hi, my name is Lala Castro and I take pictures of my food and travel adventures (also, my friends pitch in). I love different foods from all over the world and enjoy it with a glass of wine. All though I'm a foodie, I'm also a passionate geek at heart. In fact, sometimes you'll see me covering tech segments on TV!